CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was calling to see if you guys do abortions there.

CLINIC: Yes we do, sweetie.

CALLER: Okay. Well, how much does it cost for that?

CLINIC: It’s $450. We take insurance if you have insurance. Do you have or you don’t?

CALLER: Well, no. The thing is, I’m going to be 14 later on this month, and my friend said that you guys would have to tell my parents. But —

CLINIC: That’s not true.

CALLER: My boyfriend’s 22. He could take care of everything then?

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: Well, he said he was going to pay cash for everything, but we don’t want anyone to know about us.

CLINIC: Everything here is confidential, sweetie. Nothing has to be said unless you say something to your friends, but nothing from here.

CALLER: So if he was paying, he wouldn’t have to sign anything or his name wouldn’t have to be on any form?

CLINIC: No, no. Nothing. All you have to do is just come in. I can give you the girls in the back and just make an appointment. Do you know how far along you are?

CALLER: Well, no. I just haven’t had my period since January 3rd.

CLINIC: Do you want to make an appointment or do you want to call back? You don’t want to wait too long, sweetie, because we only do it here no more than 14 weeks.

CALLER: Okay. Well, do you guys do a pregnancy test just to make sure?

CLINIC: Yeah, we do everything before the actual procedure’s done, a sonogram and everything.

CALLER: When do you do the pregnancy tests?

CLINIC: We can do it the same day. Or if you want to come in and do it before that, you could come.

CALLER: Well, do you have anything on Saturday?

CLINIC: Hold on, sweetie. Hold on.

RECORDING: We accept Medicaid, major credit cards and several health insurance plans. For more information, please, just ask.

Good news for Medicaid participants. New York State law says that you can come to Planned Parenthood for family planning services no matter which Medicaid managed-care plan you choose.

If you had unprotected sex, you still have 72 hours to prevent an unintended pregnancy. Please request more information on emergency contraception when we return to the line.

CLINIC: Okay. I’m sorry, sweetie.

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: I’m sorry. What you were saying? By the time I get back to all these calls, I forget where I’m at.

CLINIC: Well, I was wondering when I could get a pregnancy test done.

CLINIC: For that you don’t need an appointment; you can just walk in. All you need is an i.d., a school i.d. or anything. If you want to come in today, you can come in between 1 and 4.

CALLER: Well, are there any times tomorrow?

CLINIC: Between 9 and 11:15.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Just come in. All you need is an i.d. Anybody that comes with you must also have an i.d.

CALLER: Well, if it turned out that I wasn’t pregnant, could I get birth control from you guys?

CLINIC: Yeah. First time visit is free, under 17, first time visit is free.

CALLER: But would you have to tell anybody if I was getting birth control?

CLINIC: No, sweetie. We don’t do nothing — everything here is confidential. Nothing here gets sent to the home; nothing here gets sent to the parents. Even if the parents call here, we cannot tell them anything. They could be knocking our door down, breaking all the glass, and we still can’t say anything. Everything here is confidential.

CALLER: But I don’t want anybody to know, even more than my parents.

CLINIC: No. Nothing gets said here, not unless — like I said, the only person that’s going to know is if you tell something to one of your friends, and that’s how rumors start. That’s how they find out. Because if you tell a friend and you say don’t say nothing, before you know it, that friend’s going to tell somebody. If you’re going to do something, you have to keep it between you and your boyfriend only and forget about everybody else.

If you don’t want to take birth control pills, you can take the Depo shot or you can take the Levonelle shot. The Levonelle makes your period come every month so your mother won’t get suspicious. You have to come in though to get that Levonelle shot every month. And the depo shot is every three months. You come every three months and you get the depo shot. So you choose whatever you want to do.

CALLER: It’s just me and my boyfriend don’t want to have to worry about all this again.

CLINIC: Okay.

CALLER: If I had any other questions, could I call and talk to you? I just don’t know what to do.

CLINIC: Okay. Yeah. I definitely can give you an appointment if you want us, you know — we have appointments the rest of the week Thursday morning, Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

CALLER: Okay. What time on Saturday?

CLINIC: We schedule appointments between 7:30 and 9:45.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: The earlier the better.

CALLER: Okay. If he came in with me would that be all right?

CLINIC: He can come in to only the nonmedical areas.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Which is when you give the money, when he would give the money, and for counseling.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: All the other areas you would have to go in by yourself.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Well it’s just, we were talking about all this and he said that he would pay for everything, but we don’t want anyone to know about us. If he was signing anything — like if hew as paying for everything would he have to sign anything?

CLINIC: Is he paying cash?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: No. He doesn’t have to sign for a thing, and it’s very confidential.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: We don’t even confirm appointments, and if somebody calls for you that is not on the list of the escorts we don’t give them any information unless we clear it with you.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: So as far as anybody else could know, we never heard of you.

CALLER: Okay. If it turned out that I wasn’t pregnant, could I get birth control there?

CLINIC: No. Then you would have to go to the gynecology for an exam.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Have you taken a pregnancy test at all?

CALLER: Well, no, I just haven’t had my period in awhile, and I’m just really scared.

CLINIC: Okay. Do you want to come in just to take a pregnancy test?

CALLER: Yeah. Is it all right to come in on Saturday for that?

CLINIC: Yeah. You can come in tomorrow.

CALLER: It’s just, the thing is my boyfriend has an 8 to 5 job, so.

CLINIC: Okay.

CALLER: And he would be the only way I could get there.

CLINIC: I see. Okay. You know what? Let’s schedule you for Saturday and we’ll schedule you in case you are with an appointment, and if you’re not then all you have to do is pay $25. If you are, then you pay for the procedure. This way at least you’ll have it done if you are.

CALLER: Okay. So what time do you have Saturday?

CLINIC: Could you get here as early as 8:15?

CALLER: I’d have to call my boyfriend and call you right back. Is that okay?

CLINIC: Yes, we do. We do them on Saturdays here. Our Planned Parenthood in New Rochelle does them on Thursdays. They’ll be doing them tomorrow.

CALLER: How much does that cost?

CLINIC: It’s $450.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: You have insurance?

CALLER: Well, my boyfriend’s going to pay for it with cash.

CLINIC: We take cash and credit cards, no checks. Do you know how far along you are?

CALLER: Well, no, not really.

CLINIC: Tell me your last period, and I’ll tell you.

CALLER: Well, I don’t really remember. I think it was probably like around the first week of December.

CLINIC: The first week of December?

CALLER: Yes.

CLINIC: So you think you came down December 1st?

CALLER: Well, yeah, I guess, around there.

CLINIC: We only do it here up to the 14th week. You are 11 weeks. And they’ll give you a sonogram to detect exactly how far along you are, because if you’re over the 14th, they won’t do it. They’re going to refer you out.

And just one thing to remember too. You’re running out of time because we only do it up to 14 weeks here. And after that, if you go like anyplace else, after 13 weeks, the prices start to go up. So I know they run into the 1,000s and 2,000s. So watch out, sweetie, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Try to do this quick.

CALLER: Is there any age requirement to have an abortion or anything? Because I’m going to be 14 in March.

CLINIC: No, no.

CALLER: And you wouldn’t tell my parents?

CLINIC: Everything’s confidential, sweetie.

CALLER: Okay. It’s just my parents can’t find out because —

CLINIC: No. No one’s going to find out, not unless you tell them. But even if they call here, we can’t tell them anything.

CALLER: All right. My boyfriend’s 22, and we’re planning on getting married. But if they found out we were having sex, they would totally freak out.

CLINIC: No, don’t worry about that. Everything here is confidential. So just make sure when you come in, on the paperwork, just put you don’t want anything mailed to the house. Or if you want to put your boyfriend’s address, it’s okay. Just nothing to the house, no calls to the house, nothing. You’ve got to put it on the paper and make sure they put it inside the computer too.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: You have to bring i.d. with you. And the person that’s coming with you also must bring i.d. A school i.d. is okay if you have it. Do you have i.d.?

CALLER: Well, I’m actually homeschooled. I don’t know what I would bring.

CLINIC: Oh. You don’t have no form of i.d.? You don’t have school?

CALLER: I’m homeschooled.

CLINIC: What do you mean you’re homeschooled?

CALLER: My mom teaches me.

CLINIC: Could you get your birth certificate or something?

CALLER: Yeah, yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. As long as you bring something. Let me give you the girl so you can make the appointment. Okay? Hold on.

CALLER: Well, I was wondering, do you guys do — say I wasn’t pregnant, like the thing is wrong —

CLINIC: What? Hold on one second.

(Pause)

RECORDING: — mid-life services and emergency contraception. Abortion services are available at our White Plains and New Rochelle medical centers. In addition to surgical abortion services, we offer RU486 as a medical abortion option. Services are confidential for clients of all ages. In order to ensure that our clients receive the highest quality confidential services, we request that all clients and visitors present photo i.d.s when entering our facilities. Thank you for choosing us as your healthcare provider.

CLINIC: Okay, I’m sorry, sweetie.

Hold on. One more time.

(Pause)

CLINIC: Okay. I’m sorry. Go ahead. What were you saying?

CALLER: My other question was, if I wasn’t pregnant, do you guys do birth control there?

CLINIC: Yeah. When you come in, you just tell the girls. If you want, they’ll give you the Depo shot when you come in that same day as soon as you have the procedure done. If you want, they’ll give you the depo shot. I think that’s the best step. I think that’s 30 or $33. You get the depo shot. And then you come every three months, and then you get the depo.

CALLER: Okay. And they wouldn’t tell anybody about that either?

CLINIC: No, sweetie. Nothing gets done here. So if you come in, that’s an option. You already have the depo, and you don’t have to worry.

CALLER: All right. Can I call you back? My friend’s mom is coming. What was your name?

CLINIC: Carmen, sweetie. Carmen.

CALLER: Okay, thanks.

CLINIC: Okay. Bye bye.

***END***

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